Certifications and Training

[Mario5FD4]

Hello everyone,

Is there a recommended online series of courses or certification to become skilled in Adboe products? Who are the providers ? Easiest platforms for self learning? Thank you!

[Lilybiri]

This is a very broad question. Personally I am using Adobe applications since 25 years and feel comfortable with quite a few, but not with all.  Captivate is the application which I have explored most the last 10 year, as is Photoshop and Illustrator. But all Adobe apps?

You have assisted at Adobe MAX, last day today. You'll see lot of people who are involved with training.  Several of the presenters have tutorials online and/or offer training. Example LinkedIn Learning. I pointed to Adobe MAX because you'll see several of the trainers which are also presenting tutorials on LinkedIn learning. Not every one will be suited for you. I believe that only personalized training is the most efficient for any software application, but that is my meaning of course.

Personally I never found a certification which can really prove that someone has real expertise or is even an intermediate user of software.  It is in most cases just a paper. Sorry for that cynical note, but that is my personal experiece with some certificates which I took, and also as trainer for advanced Captivate.  Trainees with certificates did not always perform better during training. No adult is without a history, or has the same goals for a professional software application. 

[John Ryan Design]

I agree, Lieve. I also teach the complete Adobe suite, for an Adobe Certified training institution. 
As you said, certifications may attempt to ensure that a candidate knows where all the buttons and menu items are in a programme, but there's no way they can ensure that the best practice is adhered to.

For instance, because the tools are so flexible, there are many ways to achieve a result. Some may be faster, some more re-usable, some completely complex. It might be faster to use photoshop to create a layer mask, convert a selection to a path and export paths to Illustrator rather than import the image into Illustrator and try and trace it. So many ways to do the same job.

My point  (in support of Lieve's comment) is that an Adobe Certification is no guarantee that you know the best way to use the product, but it will at least attempt to make sure what the products are capable of.
Whenever I teach students in my Adobe classes, I reinforce the point and encourage them to look wider than the Adobe net. LinkedIn learning, Udemy etc... Youtube. etc.
I wish you the best of success in your journey.